Well-testing tool



Feb. 4, 1930.

w. o. DANIELS 1,745,833

WELL TESTING TOOL Filed Feb. 5, 1928 M Zlz'am 0. 2427/2225 i atentecl Feb. 4, 1930 PATENT GFFICE WILLIAM 0. DANIELS, F LAREDO, TEXAS WELL-TESTING TOOL Application filed February 3, 1928. Serial No. 251,558.

This invention relates to well testing tools, and has more particular reference to an improved tool for use in obtaining test samples of sand and mineral strata when drilling oil wells and the like, whereby to determine the nature and characteristics of the strata en countered and thus ascertain whether or not it possesses such value as to justify the installation of casing in the well.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved tool of the above kind which may be readily attached to the drill stem in lieu of the usual drill bit and lowered into the hole for obtaining the desired test sample, without the necessity of setting up casing at a great expense and consumption of time and labor.

A further object is to provide a tool of the i above kind which is simplevand durable in construction, eflicient and reliable in opera tion, and capable of being readily placed into practical use and taken apart for renewal or repair.

The invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a'well testing tool embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical section thereof.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line Jr-4 of Figure 1.

Heretofore, when a driller has encountered what appeared to be pay sand, he has pulled the drill stem assembly, and then reentered the hole with a smaller bit to form a shoulder therein to support a string of easing which was subsequently run into the hole. The drill pipe was then used for washing the sand, and during the process of making such. a test, the drill pipe assembly has been removed in order to bail out the well. A tub assembly has usually been substituted for the drill pipe, having a valved working barrel attached, the usual sucker rod assembly being used to pump the fluid to the surface for a test. If the test proved of no consequence, drilling to a greater depth was resumed.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the present invention embodies a barrel 5 provided with an external tapered or conical packing 6, and a hollow spindle 7 rotatably fitted in the barrel 5 and having a projecting upper end threaded, as at 8, for connection, as at 9, with the drill stem 10, the barrel 5 and spindle 7 having ports 11 and 12 adapted to be brought into or out of alinement by turning of the spindle relative to the barrel, and

the lower end of the spindle being closed by means of a plug 13.

As shown, the ports 11 and 12 are provided in the lower end portions of the barrel and spindle below an external shoulder 14; on the barrel formed by reducing the portion of said barrel above said shoulder, the packing 6'being clamped on the barrel between a rin 15 fitted on the barrel and seated on the shou der 14, and a nut ring 16 threaded-on the upper end7of the barrel and keyed to the latter, as at 1 v The port 11 is preferably elongated horizontally or circumferentially of the barrel to avoid the necessity of accurate rotary adjustment of'spindle relative to the barrel in order toeflect alinement of the ports, and to permit alinement of said ports even though the position ofthes'top pin 18 carried by the nut ring 16 be'changedsomewhat by adjustment of said nut ring from time to time as found necessary to maintain I the packing 6 tightly clamped in place, though Worn and altered from I continued use. The stop pin '18 is threaded into and projects upwardly from the nut ring 16 in the path of a lateral pin 19 threadedinto the spindle 7, thus limiting turning of the spindle 7 relative to the barrel 5 to substantially one complete turn or revolution. It will be particularly noted that if the spindle 7 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figured until the pin 19 engages the pin 18, the port 12 will be moved out of alinementor re istry with the port 11. It will also be seen that if the spindle 7 is turned clockwise or to the right, until the pin 19 engages the pin 18, the ports 11 and 12 will first be registered and then moved out of registry. It is, therefore, evident one complete right turn of the. spindle both opens and closes the barrel and spindle thereby eliminating the hazard involved in a left turn which mlght result in twisting of the drill stem oif of the tool. The-packing 6 preferably consists of a series of superimposedfabric washers suitably graduated in size as shown.

In order to exclude the entrance of sand and other matter between the lower ends of the spindle and barrel, a fabric friction Washer is clamped between the head of the screw plug 13 and the lower end edges of the barrel and spindle, and a protecting and closure cap 21 is threaded on the lower end of the barrel over the plug 13 and washer 20. The washer 20 also prevents undue freedom of relative turning movement between the spindle and barrel.

In operation, the usual shoulder is formed in the hole, and the tool is attached to the drill stem and lowered into the hole until the packing 6 strikes the shoulder in the hole, the pin 19 being engaged with the right hand side of pin 18 with the ports 11 and 12 out of registry. The resiliency of the packing 6 enables it to engage the reduced bore at the shoulder in the hole so as to prevent any fluid from escaping above the tool, and the drill stem 10 is then turned to the right to rotate the spindle 7 for a partial revolution relative to the barrel 5 and register the port 12 with the ort 11, consequently creating a free passage for the fluid and sand through the ports 11 and 12 upward to a level in the spindle orthe drill stem above the said ports, where it is trapped by turning the spindle further to the right so as to engage the pin 19 with the left side of pin 18 and move the port 12 out of alinement with port 11. The tool is then elevated to the surface, and a test made of the sand trapped within the tool. Should the test prove the strata to be of no value, it is only necessary to substitute the drill bit for the testing tool, lower the drill bit into the hole and resume drilling, prepa ratory to another test, without the usual expense and waste oftime and labor as herinbefore set forth.

Minor changes may be made without-departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. A tool for obtaining samples of-sand when drilling oil wells comprising a barrel having an external packing and adapted to be set In a well hole, a hollow spindle rotatably fitted in the barrel and adapted to be connected to a drill stem to be rotated thereby, said barrel and spindle having ports adapted to be alined by rotation of the spindle relative to the barrel to aflord communication between the well hole beneath saidpacking and the interior of the spindle, and to be ther rotation of the spindle in the same direction, the port in the hollow spindle being circular and the port in the barrel being elongated circumferentiallyof the latter.

2. A tool for obtaining samples of sand when drillingoil wells comprising a barrel having an external packing and adapted to be set in a well hole, a hollow spindle rotatably fitted in the barrel and adapted to "be connected to a drill stem to be rotated thereby, said barrel and spindle having ports adapted to be alined by .rotation of the spindle relative to the barrel to afford communication between the well hole beneath said packing and the interior of the spindle, and to be moved out. of alinement by rotation of said said barrel and spindle having ports adapted to be alined byrotation of the spindle relative to the barrelto aiford communication between the well hole beneath said packing and the interior of the spindle, and to bemoved out of alinement by rotation of said spindle relative to the barrel to trap fluid in the spindle, a plug closing the lower end of the spindle and having a head, and a friction washer clamped between the head of said plug and the lower end edges of the spindle and barrel and a cap on the lower end of the barrel enclosing said plug and said friction washer.

4. A tool for obtaining test samples of'sand when drilling oil wells comprising a barrel having an externalpacking and adapted to be set in a well hole, a hollow spindle rotatably fitted in the barrel and adapted to be connected to a drill stem to be rotated thereby, said barrel and spindle having ports, adapted to bealined by rotation of the spindle relative to the barrel to afford communication between the well hole beneath said packing and the interior of the spindle, and to be moved out of alinement by rotation of said spindle relative to the barrel to trap fluid in the spindle, said barrel having an externally reduced upper end portion defining a shoulder above 

